Macron warns against nationalism during armistice commemoration 2:23

World leaders have gathered in Paris to commemorate the centenary of Armistice Day, remembering all those who were killed and wounded in conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron used his speech marking the end of the First World War to urge the heads of state in attendance to ‘build hope, not fear’ and reject nationalism.

November 11th 2018

6 months ago

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Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron are at loggerheads. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Emmanuel Macron’s office said that it would not comment on a flurry of angry tweets from US President Donald Trump about his French counterpart.

“We are not making any comment,” the presidency said, following the tweets that criticised Macron’s comments on defence and attacked his low approval ratings as well as tariffs on US wine.

Mr Trump escalated his verbal assaults against France on Tuesday, suggesting that America’s stalwart European ally would have been vanquished in both world wars if not for the military firepower provided by the United States.

German chancellor Angela Merkel agrees with Mr Macron and has also called for a joint EU army—and the creation of a European security council. But Ms Merkel underlined that such a force would not mean the end of NATO, the US-led military alliance.

Mr Trump has long complained that NATO countries don’t pay their fair share of the defence alliance’s expenses, leaving the US to carry much of the burden. He has criticised Mr Macron before and after attending a weekend ceremony in Paris to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I.

Mr Trump and Mr Macron met over the weekend at the Elysee Palace in Paris and discussed defence, trade and other issues.

A top adviser to Mr Macron said on Tuesday that the French position has been “clarified.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with French customs, said Mr Macron explained the European army issue to Mr Trump, stressing that France was not making a choice between a European defence mechanism and multilateral organisations such as NATO.

Donald Trump was clearly not part of the camaraderie shared by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel in France last weekend. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Mr Trump also complained about tariffs on US wines sold in France and appeared to take a dig at Mr Macron’s low public approval rating.

Mr Trump tweeted that French tariffs on American wine is “not fair, must change!”

“On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the US. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the US to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the US makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!”

Nearly all US wine exports to major markets, including the European Union — of which France is a part — face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California winemakers in Washington on matters of tax, trade and regulatory issues.

Mr Trump, who built a career as a businessman before he entered politics, opened a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2011.

Donald Trump also had a crack at the French President’s “low approval rating”. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

The president added that, “The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26 per cent, and an unemployment rate of almost 10 per cent He was just trying to get onto another subject.

“By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!” Mr Trump tweeted.

Mr Macron is hovering at around 30 per cent in popularity polls, while the unemployment rate is just above nine per cent.

Mr Trump’s continued complaints about France and Mr Macron struck a nerve with some in the European nation, especially since the president’s latest broadsides came on the third anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in 2015.

It prompted French journalist Hugo Clement to tweet in response: “We are already great, especially on November 13th. Go back to your room and give the phone to an adult.”

It comes as multiple unnamed sources reported to US news outlets on Tuesday that there would be more bloodletting in the Trump administation with the US president preparing to fire his Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen and also to replace his chief of staff John Kelly in yet another shake-up of the administration.

Mr Trump had decided to remove Ms Nielsen, who had been a protogee of Mr Kelly, but there was no obvious candidate to replace her, according to The Wall Street Journal.